Sealing attachment for machines for applying crown corks to bottles or other containers



June 1931- w. o. P. RIECK v SEALING ATTACHMENT FOR MACHINES FOR APPLYING CROWN CORKS T0 BOTTLES OR OTHER CONTAINERS Filed July 14, 1.928

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QERERQQ NNN xwwwwwwwwwm Q a v I 74 V/% M w Patented June 30, 1931 WILHEIJI OTTO PAUL RIECK, F HAMBURG,

SEALING ATTACHMENT FOR MACHINES FOB AZPPLYING CROWN COBKS TO BOTTLES OR OTHER CONTAINERS v Application filed July 14, 1928, Serial No. 292,833, and in Germany August 15, 1927.

Previously known stoppering machines, that is machines for applying crown corks to bottles or other containers, were equipped with a sealing device including a solid die engaging the base of the crown cork and either a conical sealing ring for closing in the flanges of the crown cork or a sealing ring consisting of several parts collectively presenting a cylindrical cavity and acted on radially by springmeans. The employment of a conical sealing ring is subject to the drawback that it does not permit the crown cork to be closed with suflicient tightness, particularly when applied to bottles with wide necks, as for example, milk bottles, so that the crown cork when applied may be turned round with slight expenditure of power. The use of a sealing ring consisting of several spring-influenced parts obviates this 2.0 drawback-as it exercises sufiicientradial pressureon the flanges of the crown cork to ensure perfect closure of the crown cork, but is subject to the further drawback that the :pressure exercised thereby on application to the bottle is quite considerable, for when the but tle neck has penetrated a short distance into the sealing ring the necessarily powerful spring offers considerable resistance to the required expansion of the ring throughout its length, and only when the bottle has further penetrated the ring does the line of contact of the bottle or cork within the ring become more suitable for uniform expansion.

- The object of the invention is to obviate 5 these drawbacks.

' The sealing ring constructed according to the invention is a compromise between a conical ring and a. cylindrical sealing ring composed of several spring parts. This come 49 promise is arrived at by forming the ring of a number of parts which collectively present a cylindrical cavity and which are spring urged in radial direction, but which present an end face opposite the opening penetrated v by the bottle neck which is so curved or coned that on'initial penetration of the bottle neck the ring expands only at the opening receiving the bot-tle neck, that is, assumes a conical form, while after further penetration bythe bottle neck it re-assumes its cylindrical form and then exercises the necessary peripheral pressure on the crown cork. In this way the 5 pressure exercised on the bottle neck on application of the sealing ring is diminished, as on the initial penetration of the bottleneck only the adjacent parts of the spring are expanded and thereafter the whole spring is expanded throughout its length. Theinvention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a've'rtical section of the sealing device.

Fig. 2 is a section through the sealing ring drawn toa large scale.

Fig. 3 is a plan of the latter.

Fig. 4, 5 and 6 show the mode of operation of the sealing ring during the sealing operation.

The sealing ring 1 consists of several sectors-in the example illustrated six sectorswhich collectively present acylindrical cavity 2 for the passage of the usual solid capping die. 5 which engages the base of the crown cork 4'. The solid die 5 is mounted as usual for vertical movement in the hollow plunger 6 of the sealing device and is subject to the action of a helical spring 7. The ring 1 is surrounded for example by a helical spring 8 of which the convolutions are close together and which urges the sectors radially inwards, it being understood that for the spring 8 other suitable spring or elastic means may be. substituted. The sprin 8 is held in position at its upper end by a ange 9 on the ring 1. Preferably the ring 1 is fitted in a casing consisting of a hollow ring 10 recessed at 11 to receive the flange 9 and provided with a screw-on annular cover 12. At its lower end the ring 10 is provided w th a shoulder 15 on which abuts the lower end of the spring 8. Naturally the ring 1 is fitted with sufficient play in the two-part casing 10, 12 so that it can expand to the required extent on afiixing the crown cork 4 to a bottle 13. The ring 1 with its two-part casing 10, 12 or if desired without said casing is mounted in the cavity 14 of the hollow plunger 6 which ordinarily receives the usual conical ring.

According to the invention the upper end face 16 of the flange 9 is of spherical segmental form whereby there is obtained the result explained in Figs. 4 to 6.

Hereinafter the term curved will be employed with reference to the shape of the upper end face 16 of the flange 9, to designate generically either a true spherical shape of the said face or the coned form suggested previously in page 3 lines 6 through 11 inelusive, and this term will be s ecifically employed in the claims for the oregoing purpose. While it is of course true that strictly speaking, a cone is generated by the revolution of a right angle triangle, nevertheless it is believed that in view of the foregoing explanation no ambiguity will be found to reside in the use of the term curved in the generic sense in. which it is at present employed.

When the member 6 descends or the bottle 13 rises, then, as shown in Fig. 4, the die 5 engages the base of the crown cork 4, but at the same time as shown in Fig. 5 the ring 1 sli s over the periphery of the crown cork 4. i1 consequence of the curved surface 16 as shown in Fig. 5, the ring 1 will at first assume a conical form. The bottle neck with the crown cork will therefore onl have to expand the ring at its lower end or which relatively slight power is required. The bottle neck and.crown cork will therefore pass into the ring 1 with. slight stressing of the spring 8, until, as shown in Fig. 6, the ring 1 again assumes a cylindrical form, exercising sufficient radial pressure on the crown cork to effect the sealing thereof.

The distance which the ring 1 is penetrated naturally depends on the height of the bottle. Differences in height are automatically compensated for. Instead of the end face 16 being curved as shown, the surface contacting with the flange 9, i. e., in the example illustrated the end face of the cover 12 may be oppositely curved, that is convex to the rin 1. Also the surfaces might be coned instead of being curved.

I claim 1. In a machine for applying crown caps to containers, such as bottles, a casing, means within the casing for yieldably exerting pressure upon the top of a crown cap arranged upon the mouth of a container introduced into the casing, a sealing ring within thecasing comprising an annular series of sections,

the said casing having a cover member, the

inner surface of which is substantially plane, and the end face of the sealing ring adja cent the cover member being rounded to rock ingly engage with the said cover member in a radial direction, and an expansible spring encompassing said series of sections and yieldably resisting expansion of the sealing ring in a relative separation of the sections thereof, whereby the entry of the'normally expanded rim of the closure cap into the sealing ring is facilitated and the rim compressed, circumferentially, upon full entry of the closure cap into the ring to a point where the compressive action of the spring about the sections of the sealing ring is equal for substantially the height of said ring.

2. In a machine for applying crown caps to containers, such as bottles, a casing, means within the casing for yieldably exerting pressure upon the top of a crown cap arranged upon the mouth of a container introduced into the casing, a sealing ring within the casing comprising an annular series of sections, the said sealing ring having an upper end substantially spherical in shape and an expansible, helical spring encompassing said series of sections for the active height thereof, and yieldably resisting expansion of the sealing ring in a relative separation of the sections thereof, whereby the entry of the normally expanded rim of the closure cap into the sealing ring is facilitated and the rim compressed, circumferentially, upon full entry of the closure cap into the ring to a point where the compressive action of the spring about the sections of the sealing ring is equal for substantially the height of said ring.

3. In a machine for applying crown caps: to containers, such as bottles, a casing, means within the casing for yieldably exerting pressure upon the top of a crown cap arranged upon the mouth of a container introduced into the casing, a sealing ring within the cusing comprising an annular series of sections, the uppermost end of the said sealing ring being tapered upwardly and inwardly, and an expansible spring encompassing said series of sections and yieldably resisting expansion of the sealing ring in a relative separation of the sections thereof, whereby the entry of the normally expanded rim of the closure cap' into the sealing ring is facilitated and the point where the compressive action of the.

spring about the sections of the sealing ring is equal for substantially the height of said ring.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WILHELM OTTO PAUL RIECK. 

